Category: Hooks

Playoff time in the Texas League is looming and the Corpus Christi Hooks and San Antonio Missions are scheduled to meet in the opening divisional round, a best of five series. On September 4th in Corpus Christi the teams square off for the first two games, the series will move to San Antonio for game three and, if necessary, game four. Game five will be awarded to the team who wins the championship of the regular season’s second half, presuming a game five will be necessary of course. Arguably the biggest rivals in the Texas League are going to meet again, but this meeting means more than just bragging rights for these two great teams. Continue reading →

It’s no secret that the Astros have compiled one of the best minor league farm systems in baseball recently after their “fire sale” at the major league level, compiling the best prospects from around the league and bringing them into the Astros organization. Many predict that the Astros are years away from contention while the prospects are in the farm, developing and getting ready for the Major League, they are currently tearing through the Minor League. The brightest spot in the Astros farm system is Double-A Corpus Christi, boasting a roster consisting Astros first round picks, George Springer, Jiovanni Mier, and other up-and-coming prospects such as, Nick Tropeano, Asher Wojciechowski, Enrique Hernandez, Domingo Santana, and Jonathan Meyer. Continue reading →

Although the feeling has yet to fully sink in, the season is over for the Corpus Christi Hooks, and the Hooks’ playoff venture was cut off before it could begin, the Hooks were swept out of the playoffs. After two heartbreaking defeats in walk-off fashion in Frisco, the Hooks returned home to Whataburger Field with their backs against the wall, and a dagger at their throat. The Hooks played with great effort in Frisco, losing both games by a margin of one run a piece, but failed to put any runs on the board Friday night, as the Roughriders held them scoreless, and would steamroll the Hooks on their way to the Texas League Championship.

The Double-A Houston Astros affiliate capped off their best regular season in history with a short-lived playoff birth, but not all is loom and gloom, many Hooks players individually enjoyed success, players would go on to make names for themselves and standing out in the Astros minor league organization.

Many players such as Jon Singleton, Marc Krauss, Josh Zeid, Asher Wojciechowski, Jonathan Villar, Jair Fernandez, and more. Despite coming short this year, there may be new faces in the coming year, with George Springer barely making his Double-A debut, and young, highly touted prospects like Delino DeShields, Nick Tropeano, and more who spent this season in High-A Lancaster, all ready for promotion to Double-A, assuming that would be next year.

The Astros have nearly made made their minor league system one of the best, much improved than what it once was. As the sour taste of a disappointing playoff appearance lingers on, and Whataburger Field will remain still, and cold throughout the off-season, there is should be hope, and positive thoughts abound as the future still is bright for the Hooks, many great players have yet to come through, and the next round of Houston bound players will make their MLB debuts.

Hooks fans can now only turn their eyes to Houston as Triple-A Oklahoma City’s season has already come to a close, and wait to see if any of their beloved Hooks players will make their debut on a September call-up.

In his first ever game in a Corpus Christi uniform, Jed Lowrie made a rehab start as a designated hitter for the Hooks Friday night in their elimination game against the Roughriders. Lowrie was rehabbing his ankle, he was put in the line up, moving the Hooks’ usual DH Drew Locke out of his spot. Having a major league caliber hitter would give the team an advantage on paper, but does not always transfer over onto the field.

Lowrie went 0-4 with his lone game with Corpus Christi. He struck out each of his four times, when he struck out the fourth and final time, he received boos from the 5059 Hooks fans in attendance. Both, fans and Lowrie were disappointed in his performance, leaving the goose egg, doughnut, sombrero, or whatever you want to call it, Lowrie immediately stormed from the dugout, into the tunnel and off into the Hooks clubhouse.

It is questionable why Lowrie started, but the question is easily dispelled with the answer that minor leaguer championships do not matter to the big club, especially when it comes to getting on of their players a rehab start.

You could say that the starting of the hobbled Lowrie over proven, healthy Drew Locke messed with the Hooks’ chemistry, but Lowrie isn’t the only one carrying the burden, shortstop Jonathan Villar made his return, a head scratcher for sure.

Villar was sidelined for nearly two months with a fractured wrist after punching the bathroom door in the Hooks dugout after striking out. Villar delivered a solid punch that Amar’e Stoudemire would have been proud of. Villar replaced Adam Bailey who had been placed on the injured reserve list for an emergency appendectomy.

It’s a shame that these guys couldn’t help their team win, and for Lowrie I’m sure it’s going to be a long ride back to Houston. All he can really do now is coast to the end of the season and enjoy the offseason until February and March roll around and Spring Training starts again.

It took six years, but the Corpus Christi Hooks have once again reached the Texas League playoffs, completely flipping the script from last year’s 50-90 record, compiling a winning season, as of August 29th, with a record of 78-56. The Hooks have been bolstered by the new Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow who firmly believes that a successful major league club begins in the minor leagues. The Hooks are leading the way in the Astros minor league system, they have had one of their best seasons in their short history, and the only time the Hooks have had anywhere near this type of success was in 2006 when the Hooks featured a beefed line-up of Hunter Pence, Mark Saccomano, J.R House, Jon Ash, Matt Albers, and Ben Zobrist. Continue reading →

It seems like yesterday when the Astros traded Hunter Pence to the Phillies, the Astros received top prospects pitcher Jarred Cosart, and first baseman Jonathan Singleton.

Almost a full calendar year after the trade, Singleton is finding himself in the midst of a success season on a contending Double-A Corpus Christi Hooks team.

In his first full year in Double-A, Singleton is hitting .271 has an on-base percentage of .393, and is slugging .487. Singleton’s high production numbers have turned heads in not only the Astros minor league organization, but by scouts everywhere. Singleton has earned his first ever trip to the MLB All-Star Futures Game during the All-Star Game festivities. Continue reading →

CORPUS CHRISTI — On a hot seven game win streak, the Corpus Christi Hooks have moved up to second place to the South Division of the Texas League and third place overall. On the hot streak, the Hooks have found themselves in a place they have not been in five years, a pennant race.

The Hooks swept the last place San Antonio Missions in four games and took a series from Midland, winning the series 3-1. The Hooks won seven consecutive games for the first time since May of 2007 and swept San Antonio in a four-game series for just the second time, the previous instance coming June 9-12, 2007. Continue reading →